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Bloomberg: Genetically Enhanced Seeds to Get Carbon Credits

The United Nations-overseen emissions-market regulator has approved a system of rules that will allow farmers using genetically improved seeds to claim carbon offset credits, according to Arcadia Biosciences Inc.

Nitrogen-efficient seed allows farmers to maintain high crop yields while using less fertilizer, the Davis, California- based agricultural-technology company said today in a statement.

Nitrogen is a large source of agricultural emissions because less than half the volume applied to fields globally is used by plants, with most of the rest entering water systems or converting into nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas almost 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, the company said.

“There are significant opportunities for agriculture to play a central role in the cost-effective mitigation of climate change,” Eric Rey, president of Arcadia Biosciences, said in the statement.